Adhesive slide fastener product

ABSTRACT

An improved adhesive slide fastener construction is disclosd wherein at least one surface of a slide fastener stringer has coated thereon a thermoplastic adhesive film layer and a relatively thin pressure sensitive adhesive layer in intimate contact with said thermoplastic adhesive. The thermoplastic adhesive film firmly secures said pressure sensitive adhesive layer to the slide fastener stringer and isolates the stringer fabric and an underlying fabric surface from said pressure sensitive adhesive composition. The pressure sensitive adhesive composition enables rapid alignment and positioning of the slide fastener stringer on a garment surface prior to permanent installation of the slide fastener into the garment.

limited States Patent [191 Canepa ADHESIVE SLIDE FASTENER PRODUCT [75] Inventor: William P. Canepa, Forest Hills,

[73] Assignee: Kay-Cee Industrial Products, Inc., New York, NY.

221 Filed: Dec. 27, 1971 211 Appl. No.: 212,040

{52] 11.8. C1 24/205.16 R, 156/66, 161/167 [51] Int. Cl A44b 19/00 [58] Field of Search 24/205.16; 156/66; 161/167, 406

[56] l References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,109,583 3/1938 Bennett 161/82 2,752,921 7/1956 Fink 128/334 3,685,103 8/1972 Severino 24/205.16 2,768,922 10/1956 Klein 24/205.16 R 2,326,581 8/1943 Van Cleef 161/167 2,463,244 3/1949 Carter 161/167 3,039,459 6/1962 Scholl 161/167 3,257,228 6/1966 Reed 161/167 5] Jan. 15, 1974 3,283,345 11/1966 Berck 161/167 3,456,305 7/1969 Voit 24-/205.16 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 578,900 7/1946 Great Britain 24/205.l6 R

Primary Examiner-Bernad A. Gelak Att0mey-Harvey W. Mortimer et al.

[ 5 7] ABSTRACT An improved adhesive slide fastener construction is disclosd wherein at least one surface of a slide fastener stringer has coated thereon a thermoplastic adhesive film layer and a relatively thin pressure sensitive adhesive layer in intimate contact with said thermoplastic adhesive. 'The thermoplastic adhesive film firmly secures said pressure sensitive adhesive layer to the slide fastener stringer and isolates the stringer fabric and an underlying fabric surface from said pressure sensitive adhesive composition. The pressure sensitive adhesive composition enables rapid alignment and positioning of the slide fastener stringer on a garment surface prior to permanent installation of the slide fastener into the garment.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN 15 m4 3185x114 INVENTOR. WILLIAM F. CANEPA 1 ADHESIVE SLIDE FASTENER PRODUCT This invention relates to slide fastener constructions, and more particularly to adhesive coated slide fastener tapes.

The use of adhesive compositions on slide fastener (zipper) stringers whereby the stringer (and the associated slide fastener) may be secured on one surface of a garment or other fabric article without being sewn or basted in place has been known for some time. One example of such a construction involves the use of a pressure sensitive adhesive material which is located on one surface of a slide fastener stringer. Installation of the stringer and the slide fastener is carried out by placing the surface of the exposed pressure sensitive adhesive into contact with the surface of a garment in which the slide fastener is to be installed and applying a light pressure to the back of the fabric stringer. In this fashion the entire length of the stringer is held in proper alignment on the garment until such time as the stringer can be permanently affixed to the garment by stitching or the like. One drawback of such a slide fastener construction is the requirement that a relative large amount (i.e., a thick coating) of adhesive material is required in order to insure that the fabric stringer is adequately secured to the garment fabric. The necessity for a large amount of pressure sensitive adhesive material in this construction is believed to be due to several factors including the tendency of the pressure sensitive adhesive material to diffuse down into the fabric stringer material, as well as the fact that the pressure sensitive adhesive is not particularly well suited to bonding two fabric surfaces together. Further disadvantages traceable to the presence of the relatively thick pressure sensitive adhesive layer involve the tendency of the adhesive materials to spill over along the outer margins of the slide fastener stringers with the possibility that the garment may eventually become stained or soiled during the laundering process and the action of the adhesive material in clogging sewing needles when the slide fastener is ultimately sewn in place.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved adhesive slide fastener construction which may be quickly and securely aligned and fastened on a receptor surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive coated slide fastener construction having a relatively thin coating of pressure sensitive adhesive material for adhering to a fabric surface.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a slide fastener construction having a barrier layer impervious to a pressure sensitive adhesive material interposed between the pressure sensitive adhesive and an underlying fabric stringer material.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent after a consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slide fastener construction in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1 showing the relative placement of the adhesive elements of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a different embodiment of the applicant's invention in which pressure sen.- sitive adhesive material is located on opposing sides of a fabric stringer;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a slide fastener installation according to the instant invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and especially FIG. 1, there is illustrated a slide fastener (zipper) construction 10, which comprises two slide fastener stringers l2 having fastened along their respective inner margins cooperating zipper teeth 14. Preferably slide fastener stringers 12 are fabricated of a woven or knitted fabric material, although sheets of synthetic material such as, for example, vinyl are equally suitable. The slide fastener construction also includes an end stop 16 for halting the travel of the slider element 18. The slider element serves to reversibly engage the zipper teeth 14 in locked and unlocked positions depending upon its direction of travel with relation to the end stop 16.

The layered adhesiveconstruction by means of which slide fastener 10 is aligned with and secured on a desired garment edge or fabric base is located along the respective outer edges of each slide fastener stringer 12. The uppermost layer of the adhesive construction consists of a narrow coating of pressure sensitive adhesive material 20 running longitudinally for the entire length of fabric stringer 12. In commercial use, the slide fastener construction 10 is supplied with a strip of release coated material 22 having substantially the same width as the pressure sensitive adhesive coating 20 and being in protective contact therewith. The adhesive contacting surface of the release material is coated with a durable release substance such as silicone to facilitate rapid removal of the release material and exposure of the underlying pressure sensitive adhesive material when it is desired to install the slide fastener into a garment. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the release material has substantially the same dimensions as the pressure sensitive adhesive coating and effectively serves to prevent the pressure sensitive material from migrating beyond the edges of the release material during shipment or handling incidental to the slide fastener installation. Suitable release materials include papers such as coated Kraft paper, wax paper, or synthetic films such as polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.

Interposed between the pressure sensitive adhesive coating 20 and the fabric stringer 12 is a layer of material 24 impervious to the pressure sensitive adhesive 20. Preferably the impervious material is a thermoplastic adhesive composition of the type which can be cast into a film and reactivated by heating. Suitable synthetic thermoplastic adhesive materials include, for example, vinyl esters, polyamids, copolymers of vinyl esters with olefins or polyesters, and various acrylic, adhesive compositions. Especially suitable for the thermoplastic adhesive layer 24 are those thermoplastic adhesive compositions which have a melting point in the range of 250350 Fahrenheit.

The pressure sensitive thermoplastic adhesive layer structure of this invention may be prepared using any one of several different techniques. In a preferred method, a thermoplastic adhesive resin is cast or extruded, for example, onto a release coated material (e.g., paper base) having the same width as desired for the pressure sensitive layer. After the cast thermoplastic film has solidified, one surface thereof is coated with a thin layer of a pressure sensitive adhesive material. It is desirable that the pressure sensitive adhesive layer have a thickness no greater than the thickness of the thermoplastic adhesive coating and preferably the pressure sensitive layer has a thickness on the order of approximately 30-60 percent of the thermoplastic adhesive layer.

The pressure sensitive adhesive layer is preferably protected by the provision of a release coated paper strip 22 which intimately contacts the pressure sensitive adhesive layer along the surface which is not in contact with the thermoplastic adhesive composition. The thermoplastic adhesive is exposed by removing the release paper and longitudinally aligning it with the outer edge of fabric stringer 12, (as indicated in FIG. 1). The thermoplastic/pressure sensitive adhesive construction is secured in place on, for example, a fabric stringer by reactivating the thermoplastic adhesive (which has been placed in contact with one surface of the fabric stringer) with the application of a suitable amount of heat and pressure to the upper surface of the release paper 22.

An important consideration in the selection of the pressure sensitive adhesive composition dictates that this material should have a melting point somewhat above that of the thermoplastic adhesive material with which it is to be employed in this invention; otherwise the pressure sensitive adhesive material may migrate into the thermoplastic adhesive layer and eventually penetrate through fabric stringer 12, with the result that the garment to which slide fastener construction is applied may become soiled by the pressure sensitive adhesive. A coating thickness of 0.003 inches of thermoplastic adhesive material is preferably employed on a conventional cotton fabric stringer which is in turn coated with a 0.001 inches layer of pressure sensitive adhesive material. However, the thickness of the pressure sensitive adhesive layer may vary from 0.00075 up to 0.002 and the thermoplastic adhesive layer may be coated up to a thickness of 0.002-0.004 inches. Using this construction an exceptionally strong and durable bond is achieved between the thermoplastic adhesive layer 24 and the overlying pressure sensitive adhesive layer 22, as well as the underlying fabric stringer 12. It has also been unexpectedly discovered that although the pressure sensitive adhesive layer employed in this invention has a thickness which is substantially thinner than is employed in earlier pressure sensitive adhesive zipper tape constructions, the resulting adhesive bond between the pressure sensitive material and the garment or fabric surface to which the slide fastener construction is attached is at least equally as strong as the earlier constructions. Due to the fact that a portion of the thermoplastic adhesive has diffused into the structure of the fabric stringer 12, the adhesive layer system has a relatively low cross sectional profile above the surface of fabric stringer 12 thereby making for easier handling of the slide fastener construction 10.

By referring to FIG. 2 illustrating a possible commercial form of the invention, it will be seen that the slide fastener construction includes a thermoplastic adhesive layer 24 in intimate contact with the fabric layer and an overlying pressure sensitive adhesive layer 20. Release paper 22 covers the entire surface of pressure sensitive adhesive layer and acts to maintain the pressure sensitive adhesive layer within the boundary of the release paper margins, as well as to prevent accidental adherence to any surfaces encountered during the handling of the slide fastener construction prior to installation.

In FIG. 3, is illustrated another embodiment of the present invention in which both the upper and lower surfaces of a fabric stringer 12 have adhesive laminar constructions at the outer margins thereof. This construction is.particularly useful-when it is desired to install a slide fastener apparatus between two folds of sheetmaterial, as is commonly done in the construction of ladies boots and hand-bags. Using this embodiment of the invention, it is possible to eliminate the preliminary basting stitch and to align as well as temporarily secure the slide fastener in place pending permanent installation.

The improved slide fastener constructions of this invention can be used by first removing both release coated strips 22 to expose the underlying pressure sensitive adhesive layers 20. These layers will then be laid down on a desired fabric surface 26 with the application of gentle pressure causing them to adhere securely to each surface. Should some misalignment of the slide fastener occur during this operation, the fabric stringer 12 may be pulled away from the underlying fabric 26 and another attempt made to position the slide fastener correctly on the underlying fabric. The pressure sensitive adhesive material will withstand several repeated applications and removals from underlying fabric surface without any apparent damage to its adhesive abilities. Once the slide fastener has been properly positioned in alignment with the underlying fabric, the slide fastener is permanently installed on the fabric layer by sewing it in place. Although it is not necessary, the sewing operation may be carried out by sewing directly through the adhesive layer system without danger of clogging the sewing needle.

An additional advantage of the multi-layer adhesive slide fastener constructions of the instant invention resides in the inability of the pressure sensitive adhesive material to migrate or diffuse through the impervious thermoplastic adhesive layer under normal conditions to soil the outer surface of the fabric stringer or the garment itself. A wide range of pressure sensitive adhesive compositions can be employed in this invention although it is preferred to use either an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive or rubber based solvent adhesive for the pressure sensitive adhesive component.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the multi-layer adhesive and fabric constructions of this invention are not limited to use in conjunction with slide fastener constructions and may be used in connection with trimmings, patches, fabric ornaments and the like.

What is claimed is:

1. A slide fastener construction comprising a pair of slide fastener stringer tapes having cooperating fastener teeth along their respective inner margins, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive along an outer margin of each said stringer, and a layer of thermoplastic adhesive material interposed between and in intimate contact with said pressure sensitive adhesive layer and each of said stringers, said thermoplastic material being impervious to said pressure sensitive adhesive and having a lower melting point than said pressure sensitive adhesive.

2. A slide fastener construction according to claim 1 including a release coated protective covering in contact with the upper surface of said pressure sensitive adhesive.

3. A slide fastener construction according to claim 2 wherein said thermoplastic adhesive material comprises a longitudinal coating of a synthetic organic composition in contact with at least a portion of one surface of each said slide fastener stringer.

4. An adhesive slide fastener assembly comprising a fabric stringer bearing slide fastener teeth along the length thereof, a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a lower surface bonded to at least a portion of the upper surface of said fabric stringer, and a pressure sensitive adhesive overlay in permanent intimate contact with at least a portion of the upper surface of the thermoplastic adhesive layer and having a smaller thickness than said thermoplastic adhesive layer.

5. An adhesive slide fastener assembly comprising a fabric stringer bearing slide fastener teeth along the length thereof, a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a lower surface bonded to at least a portion of the upper surface of said fabric stringer, and a pressure sensitive adhesive overlay in permanent intimate contact with at least a portion of the upper surface of the thermoplastic adhesive layer and having a smaller thickness than said thermoplastic adhesive layer wherein said fabric stringer comprises a woven cotton material.

6. An adhesive slide fastener assembly comprising a fabric stringer bearing slide fastener teeth along the length thereof, a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a lower surface bonded to at least a portion of the upper surface of said fabric stringer, and a pressure sensitive adhesive overlay in permanent intimate contact with at least a portion of the upper surface of the thermoplastic adhesive layer, said pressure sensitive adhesive layer having a thickness of .00l inches and said thermoplastic adhesive layer having a thickness of 0.003 inches.

7. An adhesive slide fastener element according to claim 6 wherein the thermoplastic adhesive comprises a polyester adhesive composition.

8. An adhesive slide fastener element according to claim 6 wherein the adhesive layers are arrayed longitudinally along one edge of the fabric stringer opposite the edge bearing the zipper teeth.

9. An adhesive slide fastener product which comprises a pair of opposed slide fastener stringers bearing cooperating zipper teeth fastened along the inner margin of each of said stringers, a layer consisting of a thermoplastic adhesive composition longitudinally arrayed parallel to said zipper teeth on each of said stringers, and a pressure sensitive adhesive layer covering said thermoplastic layer and having a thickness from about 30 percent to percent of the thickness of said thermoplastic adhesive layer and a melting point above the melting point of said thermoplastic adhesive. 

1. A slide fastener construction comprising a pair of slide fastener stringer tapes having cooperating fastener teeth along their respective inner margins, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive along an outer margin of each said stringer, and a layer of thermoplastic adhesive material interposed between and in intimate contact with said pressure sensitive adhesive layer and each of said stringers, said thermoplastic material being impervious to said pressure sensitive adhesive and having a lower melting point than said pressure sensitive adhesive.
 2. A slide fastener construction according to claim 1 including a release coated protective covering in contact with the upper surface of said pressure sensitive adhesive.
 3. A slide fastener construction according to claim 2 wherein said thermoplastic adhesive material comprises a longitudinal coating of a synthetic organic composition in contact with at least a portion of one surface of each said slide fastener stringer.
 4. An adhesive slide fastener assembly comprising a fabric stringer bearing slide fastener teeth along the length thereof, a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a lower surface bonded to at least a portion of the upper surface of said fabric stringer, and a pressure sensitive adhesive overlay in permanent intimate contact with at least a portion of the upper surface of the thermoplastic adheSive layer and having a smaller thickness than said thermoplastic adhesive layer.
 5. An adhesive slide fastener assembly comprising a fabric stringer bearing slide fastener teeth along the length thereof, a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a lower surface bonded to at least a portion of the upper surface of said fabric stringer, and a pressure sensitive adhesive overlay in permanent intimate contact with at least a portion of the upper surface of the thermoplastic adhesive layer and having a smaller thickness than said thermoplastic adhesive layer wherein said fabric stringer comprises a woven cotton material.
 6. An adhesive slide fastener assembly comprising a fabric stringer bearing slide fastener teeth along the length thereof, a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a lower surface bonded to at least a portion of the upper surface of said fabric stringer, and a pressure sensitive adhesive overlay in permanent intimate contact with at least a portion of the upper surface of the thermoplastic adhesive layer, said pressure sensitive adhesive layer having a thickness of .001 inches and said thermoplastic adhesive layer having a thickness of 0.003 inches.
 7. An adhesive slide fastener element according to claim 6 wherein the thermoplastic adhesive comprises a polyester adhesive composition.
 8. An adhesive slide fastener element according to claim 6 wherein the adhesive layers are arrayed longitudinally along one edge of the fabric stringer opposite the edge bearing the zipper teeth.
 9. An adhesive slide fastener product which comprises a pair of opposed slide fastener stringers bearing cooperating zipper teeth fastened along the inner margin of each of said stringers, a layer consisting of a thermoplastic adhesive composition longitudinally arrayed parallel to said zipper teeth on each of said stringers, and a pressure sensitive adhesive layer covering said thermoplastic layer and having a thickness from about 30 percent to 60 percent of the thickness of said thermoplastic adhesive layer and a melting point above the melting point of said thermoplastic adhesive. 